THE STARLING. By Christopher Feare.

(1984) 1984 reprint. 8vo (142 x 222mm). Ppxiv,315. B/w photograph plates and line illustrations, bibliography. Black boards, spine titled in gilt.

"The European starling is one of the most successful birds in the world. It lives in close association with man and has been spread around the world by man, yet it is a bird many people love to hate. The starling is a garden bird, a woodland bird, a farm bird, and a city bird and in all these habitats it conflicts with man to some degree. This book traces the development of the starling from an arboreal, largely fruit-eating ancestor, probably in south-east Asia, to the ground-dwelling omnivorous bird that we see today". Chapters include: The successful starling; A place to live; The calendar; Ostentation; A new generation; The hungry hordes; A time to die; A balanced diet; Gatherings; A route to success; Relations with man. In the 1890s, fewer than 140 starlings were introduced to Central Park in New York. The current American population is close to 200,000,000. Starlings have displaced many native species, and annually do much economic damage. This is an interesting monograph on a subject which is perhaps more important than may appear at first sight.